Picture hanging



Fl6.l

INVENTOR. ARNOLD 2.;PFEFFER [Zwv United States Patent 3,516,165 PICTURE HANGING Arnold Z. Pfeffer, 39 E. 74th St., New York, NY. 10021 Filed Jan. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 792,313 Int. Cl. G011) 3/30 US. Cl. 33-180 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for locating the point on a wall at which a nail or special picture hanger is to be installed. In one form the device is a fiat vertical rod having a picture hanger at its lower end, on one side, and an aligned pointed element for marking the wall, on the opposite side.

The accurate hanging of pictures on the walls of homes, oflices, etc. has long been a problem, particularly when, as is common, the picture is to be hung in such fashion that the elements supporting it are concealed by the picture itself. Usually, the picture to be hung has a length of picture wire across its back, the ends of the wire being fastened to opposite sides of the back of the picture frame at some distance below the top of the frame. In hanging the picture one must first determine the best position for the picture on the wall and then drive a wiresuspending element (e.g. a nail, or special hanger) into the wall at a point where it will support the picture at that predetermined best position. This has proved to be a diflicult task (and for many an insurmountable task) especially when one of the occupants of the room is precise in his or her demands for correct placement of the picture. It is particularly difficult when a group of pictures must be hung in precise alignment. Often the desired result is attained, and then only approximately, after several trial-and-error attempts with consequent damage to plaster walls, which are difficult to repair.

One aspect of this invention relates to a simple device to enable an average person to determine, easily and precisely, the position at which to drive the nail or special hanger into the wall so as to hang the picture at the predetermined position.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the device,

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the use of the device, and

FIG. 3 is a front view of a modified form of the device.

In the drawing reference numeral 11 indicates a supporting element, which may be a conventional fiat wooden ruler (a side edge of which is shown), to the lower end of which is fixed a picture wire-suspending element 12. In the illustrated embodiment the element 12 is a conventional picture hanger of the type comprising a bent short narrow metal strip 13 having a nail 14 (or other securing element) passing through an opening at the upper end of the bent strip to fasten the bent strip permanently to the ruler 11. On the opposite face of the ruler, at the same level as the element 12, is a wall-marking element 16. In the illustrated embodiment this is a thumb tack whose flattened head is cemented to the face of the ruler so that its point projects outward; other forms of marking elements will suggest themselves readily, and it will be appreciated that the Wire suspending element and the marking element may be integral, being formed from a single piece of metal or plastic or stamped out from a single metal supporting element 11.

In using the device, the picture 21 is hung on the wire-suspending element 12 in the same way as it would be hung on the wall (that is, with the center part of the picture wire 22 resting in the lower part of the bent Patented June 23, 1970 strip 13) and the device and picture are held against the wall. When a decision has been made as to desired position of the picture on the wall (and the picture has been so positioned) pressure is exerted on the device so as to cause the marking element 16 to mark the wall as by puncturing or scratching the wall with the tack 16. This may be done by gently pressing the picture towards the wall 23 so that the picture in turn presses against the ruler. It is not necessary that the tack 16 penetrate deeply into the wall 23 as indicated in FIG. 2; light presssure sufficient to make a barely visible scratch is enough. After that, all that is necessary is to drive an appropriate conventional wire-suspending element (e.g. a picture hanger of the same type as the element 12) into the wall, using the mark on the wall as a guide, and hang the picture thereon.

As indicated, the marking element 16 is aligned with the wire-suspending element 12. In the illustrated embodiment the point of the tack 16 is at the same level as the bottom 26 of the bent strip 13. Accordingly, in fastening a conventional picture hanger to the wall, the user lines up the bottom of the bent strip of that hanger with the mark made by the tack and drives the nail (through the nail-receiving opening of the hanger) into the wall at a point automatically set by the dimensions of the hanger. If the user employs a simple nail in the wall rather than a bent strip type of picture hanger, he will of course drive the nail into the wall at the mark made by element 16. In each case the highest part of the picture wire (which will rest in one case on the lower portion of the picture hanger and in the other case on the nail itself) will be at substantially the same height as the mark made by element 16.

When the device is not in use the tack may be covered with a removable rubber cap (shown in dotted lines at As shown in FIG. 2 the supporting element 11 is of sufficient length to project vertically beyond the picture itself so that it can be held manually with the picture wire 22 in the taut condition in which it supports the weight of the picture.

The modification shown in FIG. 3 is designed to aid in mounting a group of pictures with the desired lateral spacing between pictures. Here there are two rulers: the vertical ruler 31 (which is identical with ruler 11 eX- cept that it has a transverse slot 32) and the horizontal ruler 33 which is supported by the vertical ruler 31 and which fits slidably into the slot 32, being considerably thinner than ruler 31. In use one can employ the horizontal ruler 33 to measure the spacing between pictures while carrying out the operation illustrated in FIG. 2.

In one method of arranging a group of pictures, the pictures are placed on the floor and moved about until the arrangement is satisfactory. Then the overall dimensions (length and width) of the group are measured and recorded, as are the distances between pictures. Pencil marks are made on the wall to mark the four outer corners of the group. Using the device of this invention, the corner pictures are then hung and thereafter the other pictures are hung at the predetermined distances from the corner pictures.

It is understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A process for locating the point on a wall where a picture-suspending element is to be installed for hanging a picture having a picture wire fastened across its back, which process comprises engaging said wire on a suspending element carried by a manually held support which also carries wall-marking means aligned with said suspending element, placing said picture, so engaged, against the wall in the desired position and marking said wall with said marking means.

2. A device for locating the point on a wall where a picture-suspending element is to be installed so as to enable a picture to be hung at the desired predetermined position with the picture-supporting means being concealed by the picture itself, said device comprising a supporting element carrying a picture-suspending element and also carrying wall-marking means aligned with said picture-suspending element for marking a wall when a picture hung from said suspending element is in the desired position, said supporting element consisting essentially of a flat thin bar having the suspending element carried thereby at its lower end on one face of said flat bar, said marking means projecting from the opposite face of said bar at said lower end, the size and shape of said device being such that said fiat bar can be held by hand, vertically, fiat against said wall with said picture-suspending element engaging and holding taut a picture wire of said picture while said picture is close to said wall and is substantially in the desired position on said wall.

3. A device as in claim 2 in which said suspending element carried by the rod is a bent clip, bent upwardly from said lower end, and the marking means comprises a pointed element adapted to scratch or puncture the wall surface 4. A device as in claim 2 in which said bar is a ruler having distance indicia on said one face, and said marking means comprises a pointed metal element adapted to scratch or puncture the wall surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM D. MARTIN, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

